4 dead, 5 hurt in crash in western Michigan

CASNOVIA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — A sport utility vehicle carrying six women lost control on an icy western Michigan roadway and spun into the path of a pickup truck early Friday, causing a crash that killed four and injured five, authorities said.

The four who died in the crash shortly after 6 a.m. in Casnovia Township were in the SUV, the Muskegon County Sheriff's Office said in a release. Two others in the vehicle were hurt, as were three men in the pickup.

The three injured men from the pickup — Eric Werkema, 31; Jose Hernandez, 28; and Ross Sterk, 35 — were treated for minor injuries.

Sheriff Dean Roesler told reporters that the women in the SUV were traveling to work in Kent County, and the men in the pickup truck were paint contractors on their way to a job. The crash happened about 20 miles northwest of Grand Rapids.

"There are some slippery spots," Roesler said Friday. "The scene of the crash is icy but there's also been a lot of traffic that's been through that as well that may have created some of it."

Authorities say an off-duty Grand Rapids police officer and a nurse stopped and provided medical attention until emergency responders arrived. The officer was driving his children to school while on his way to work when he saw the crash and pulled over. He organized rescue efforts and provided aid, including life-saving techniques, according to a statement from Grand Rapids police. His name wasn't released.